Sewer Plant Opens
Fayetteville Mayor Says Project Done On Time, Within Budget
June 2, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE -- After a decade of delays and cost increases, Fayetteville's westside treatment plant now is releasing treated water.
The plant's first release Sunday completes the first of several phases of the $180 million project that will eventually upgrade the city's wastewater treatment capacity from 12.6 million gallons to 21.2 million gallons per day. That's enough to provide for 115,000 residents, according to city estimates.
The plant is treating and releasing about 2 million gallons a day, but within 30 to 45 days, it should be able to treat about five times that amount, said David Jurgens, the city's wastewater director.
The plant not running at full capacity yet because the bacterial colony used to treat wastewater must be grown over time, said Jurgens. The plant's bacteria came from the Noland Wastewater Treatment Plant on the east side of town.
Construction began two years ago on the plant on Broyles Road south of Wedington Drive. The project has been on time and within budget since the city took control of the project from an earlier consultant in 2005, said Mayor Dan Coody
It is the largest infrastructure upgrade for any city in Arkansas, Coody said.
The project is funded through a combination of a $42 million sales tax bond approved in September 2006, a $125 million sales tax bond approved in November 2001, system revenue, developer impact fees and the sale of land at the westside treatment plant
The water that leaves the treatment plant, called wastewater effluent, has been tested and found to be within acceptable limits in several sites within the plant, Jurgens said.
The water is sampled as it leaves the plant to make sure it will be safe as it enters Goose Creek and eventually the Illinois River watershed.
Delia Haak, the executive director of the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, said her organization is pleased with the plant. It represents a good compromise between preserving clean water and accommodating the population growth in the area, she said.